The McKenzie River Trail has a way of reminding mountain bikers of the year they were born. In other words, if you're getting old, this trail will let you know.

It is one tough ride, even though it's downhill all the way.

I've pedaled some other tough classics in Oregon, including Newberry Crater Rim and Waldo Lake, but they were easy compared to the McKenzie.

The upper seven or eight miles of the McKenzie River National Recreation Trail is carved through lava flows that looked like they cooled off yesterday. It makes for some very difficult, technical riding. Or, in my case, miles of pushing.

But go ahead, if you're an Oregon mountain biker, you simply have to ride the McKenzie Trail. Bikers from around the world come to Oregon just to ride the thing.

Once you get down past Tamolitch Pool to Trail Bridge campground, the trail leaves the lava (or more accurately, the lava has a covering of soil) and the riding becomes incredibly enjoyable. Some people just ride this lower 12-mile section.

Others, including my brother and I, wanted to do the whole thing, just so we could have a reminder of how old we are getting. I can't even say that riding the trail made the beer taste better because we we're too tired to drink any.

To ride the trail, we stayed in the McKenzie River Mountain Resort and booked a ride with the resort's shuttle service. The trail runs 25.9 miles downhill, one way, from up at Clear Lake near where highways 126 and 20 join, down to its end just west of McKenzie Ranger Station on Oregon 126.

The resort is an old ranger station in the community of Blue River. Half the fun of riding the McKenzie River Trail is just spending time in the beautiful valley, staying at any of its many small lodges, and dining in a half-dozen one-of-a-kind restaurants.